Staples, Minn. Had recently dissected a fully grown fœtus, whose external parts appeared those of a female. There was no vagina and no uterus; ovaries present. No anus; the intestine ended in the bladder.

Warner, Mass.-Had met with an instance in which neither vagina or uterus existed. The woman was otherwise perfectly formed.

Sims, N. Y.-Had met with five cases; but, unlike Dr. Marcy's case, the vagina in every instance was wanting. In all instances the subjects seemed perfectly formed, and one, particularly, was a beautiful woman. But, in all instances, the uterus and vagina were absent. In one instance the subject was madly in love, but marriage was of course interdicted. In regard to the sexual instinct, the speaker said he had now been in practice forty-two years, and had never been guilty of asking a woman if she experienced the sexual desire.

Dean, N. Y.-Spoke of the liability of error in deciding that there was no uterus. A case was detailed; that of a girl, aged 15, who had not menstruated. Vagina imperfectly formed, but not positively wanting. The entire staff of the Rochester hospital agreed that the uterus was absent. Subsequently, an ill defined tumor was felt above the symphysis pubis. An incision was made upward in the direction of the vagina which revealed an os and uterus, from which drained away a quantity of retained menstrual matter. The girl has since menstruated.

Bozeman, N. Y.-Mentioned a case, otherwise perfectly formed, but in which the uterus and sexual instinct were wanting.

Seymour, Troy, N. Y.-Mentioned a case in which the uterus was not altogether wanting, but in which the growth of the organ had been early arrested, perhaps by a severe attack of scarlatina which she suffered in her childhood. She had never menstruated, and the sexual instinct, and female modesty and shame, were entirely wanting. It occurred to him that the uterus might be made to grow; and, with this end in view, stimulating injections were used; soon the uterus began to grow, and the woman afterward began to menstruate.

Subsequently her womanly instincts began to predominate, and rather to his detriment, for she blackened his reputation in a large section of his city by detailing everything that had been said and done to her during her treatment. The speaker protested against its being declared indelicate to ask a woman concerning her sexual feelings, or concerning anything that can throw light upon the case under consideration. "In the name of God is it more impertinent to inquire about the sexual feelings than to know about the perfectly formed external parts?"

Parvin, Ind.--Had met with one case in which there was no evidence of a uterus. He spoke particularly of a class of cases

in which the uterus is not absent but undeveloped; the func- tion of menstruation is sometimes absent and sometimes vicarious. The uterine mass is often no larger than the end of the little finger. Passing the sound into its minute opening is quite like threading the mass, as Dr. Marcy very aptly said. Such cases are important, because amenable to treatment, and the development of the uterus can sometimes be artificially completed. The speaker confirmed Dr. Sims in his views of the indelicacy of asking a woman concerning her sexual feelings. He knew not how to ask such questions. He was ignorant of the euphony with which to clothe the thought. “I doubt if ancient Troy would have fallen had it contained one with the heroism of this modern Trojan."

Battey, Ga.-Had seen four cases in which the uterus was apparently absent. In one the vagina was about an inch and a half long; no uterus was felt; the woman was barren, and had never menstruated.

White, N. Y.-Had seen ten or more such cases. One woman had previously consulted a practitioner because coitus was imperfectly executed. She was assured that the deformity could be remedied, and submitted to an operation. A hole was made, which satisfied her husband, but she was not able afterwards to hold her water, which was constantly running away. An examination showed absence of vagina and uterus, and a large hole in her bladder. This vesical fistula the speaker closed by operation. In this case, when the finger was passed

into the bladder, the ovaries could be easily felt upon either side. In another case the creature had been brought to him to be fitted with a truss. He found what appeared to be the labia of the vulva, and one labium contained a testicle, upon which the truss was to be fitted. In still another instance, he found the labia containing testicles, the subject being brought to him to decide whether the creature should be christened George or Georgiana.

Byford, Ill. The experience of the gentlemen who had spoken surprised him; he was not before aware that there were so many women in the world without a uterus. Two cases occurring under his observation were spoken of; in each there was an undeveloped uterus; in one galvanism was tried without result; the subject was more than thirty years old. In another case the uterus was at first about an inch and a half in length, but it subsequently suppurated and dwindled in size. In all, he had seen some eight doubtful cases.

Crawford, Ill.-In this connection mentioned the case of a child, now eighteen months old, who had menstruated every twenty-eight days for seven successive periods. The period is four days in duration. The amount of blood lost is nearly that lost by the adult. In all other respects she is like other infants.

Reamy, O.-Mentioned a case in which menstruation had never occurred till the age of 21. By operation, a vagina was made and the presence of the uterus made out. He protested against the declaration going out from this body that it was indelicate or impertinent to ask a woman concerning her sexual

tastes.

It is our duty to inquire concerning everything which can throw light upon the case under consideration.

Cutler, Mass.-Was requested to exhibit the electrolytic apparatus devised by him for the electrolysis of uterine tumors. The success of the operation has been greater since he devised the new grooved electrode. These pointed electrodes are driven into the most accessible part of the mass; sometimes directly through the abdominal walls, at other times through the vagina or rectum. The electrodes must always be separated from each other by at least a half inch of tissue; more than this is

better. The operation should always be performed under ether. The duration of the sitting varies from five to fifteen minutes.

Hildreth, W. Va.-Exhibited a new vaginal speculum which he had improvised. Its shape is like the common glass speculum, but its walls are made of wires, which run lengthwise, and are separated from each other by half inch spaces. The advantage possessed by it is that the vaginal wall can be seen at any point.

THIRD DAY, JUNE 7.

Smith, Ia. Read a paper on how to decide the best position in every labor. The reader had been early convinced, by a case of extreme lateral obliquity of the womb, that the position of the woman had much to do with the progress of labor. In every case, we should carefully find out the relations of the axis of the gravid uterus to the entrance of the parturient canal, and place the woman in that position which is most favorable to the entrance of the fœtus into the pelvis.

Parker, Mass.-Reported a case of a large growth connected with the clitoris, which was removed. The subject was a prostitute, aged thirty-five years. She had been insane more than three years. It was known that, at least three years ago, the tumor of the clitoris was as large as an orange. It was now much larger. Under ether the growth was removed without difficulty, with the écraseur. The mass weighed four and a half pounds. Its gross appearances were those of a syphilitic condyloma.

Immediately upon recovering from the effects of ether, she was apparently perfectly sane, and remained so. She exclaimed to the operator: "God bless you, why have you not done this before?"

She also said that she had another trouble; viz., her stomach. A fullness over the region had been often noticed. During her stay in the alms-house, she had been observed to vomit frequently. She had a morbid predilection for cabbage, which she would eat in great quantity and immediately reject.

The patient died three days after the removal of the tumor,

though from no effects of the operation. An autopsy revealed the stomach nearly full of hay, rolled in a large circular mass, and one large ball had been recently driven through the pyloric orifice of the stomach, which had probably caused death. Photographs were shown of the tumor in situ, and of the stomach on section containing the hay.

White, N. Y.-Completed reading his annual report on obstetrics and gynecology, which had been presented at the morning session of the Association.

The reader dwelt particularly upon the treatment of inversion of the uterus, by gradual reposition. By means of the appliance used by him, the reader said that all inverted uteri could be replaced; no matter the length of duration of the inversionthirty years or six months. The paper concluded with a plea for bed-side instruction in obstetrics; which system the reader instituted in this country more than thirty years ago.

Sims, N. Y.-Contrasted the infrequent use of the forceps in labor years ago, with the humane use of the instrument at this time. Some years ago, Dr. Quackenbush, then quite a young man, startled the N. Y. State Society by saying that he had used the forceps in fifteen hundred labors. This was perhaps the beginning of the frequent use of the instrument, which now prevails in this country, but to no such degree abroad. The speaker alluded to a paper by Dr. Newman, of Denver, in which the use of short forceps was advocated in the last moments of labor. A very short forceps was exhibited, which the speaker thought (erroneously) was devised by Dr. Newman to be used in the last moments of labor.

Quimby, N. J.-Spoke against such frequent use of the forceps; it is meddlesome and dangerous midwifery. The case should be left to nature for at least six or eight hours. The forceps should only be used when nature shows signs of failing.

Fairbanks, Mich.-No ignorant practitioner should be entrusted with the use of the instrument. Thirty years ago a practioner would have been condemned and called a butcher if he had used the forceps.

Jenks, Mich.-Said it was no argument against the use of